Almost 70 per cent of NHS trusts have seen a rise in E coli infections in the 12 months up to to January 2017, raising questions over their ability to meet the government’s target to cut rates by 50 per cent in three years.

An alliance of specialist trusts could develop new “experimental tariffs” to encourage acute providers to improve or franchise their orthopaedics services as part of the Five Year Forward View’s new care models programme.